The Massey (west of Sudbury) Breeding Bird Survey requires a 50 km drive on a dirt bush road to reach the starting point for 5 am. Naturally I saw no other vehicles and it was high beams the entire way.
Here are some pre-dawn photos:
The road is very narrow and the bush thick so, try as I did, I only came up with one (poor) bird photo: a White-throated Sparrow.
However, audio-wise, it was superb. So much variety and so many warblers – a real challenge to the ears for identification. The most difficult two are the Chestnut-sided Warbler and the Magnolia Warbler. If they stick to script they are easy to identify but now and then they wander and start to sound like each other. My grandfather, who was a master at birdsong identification, used to refer to the “undecided Chestnut-sided.”
MYSTERY PLANT
I will identify it at the end of the poat.
Other photos from the survey:
My next survey is in Terrace Bay on Lake Superior. Driving there from Massey is about the same distance as driving from Toronto to Quebec City. Too much for one day so I headed to Chapleau and stopped numerous times (still listening to an Edison biography) to take photos.
Some botany:
MYSTERY PLANT
Some of you may be thinking Rattlesnake Weed or Mouse Ear, but this plant grows beside the roads here – Dandelion.
NATURE POETRY
It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes,
And pleasant scents the noses. – N. P. Willis (1807-67)
Miles Hearn
Beautiful photos. Am enjoying your ongoing road trip and survey work very much!
What a great excuse to get up at the crack of (well, before) dawn! It’s an incentive for me to get on to Dendroica.
Thank you for taking me on this trip. Beautiful photos communicate peace and tranquility.
Thanks for your daily reports Miles. Your photos are are a reminder that we live in a beautiful country. And since I’m not an early bird, I especially appreciate your early morning photography.
Beautiful photos of the landscape and plants! Thanks Miles. We usually camp at Massey on our way to Atikokan to visit, and also pass through Terrace Bay. The route via Chapleau looks interesting. It good to see another season. Safe travels!
Your description of your drive is a reminder of how vast northern Ontario is and the huge wilderness area that stretches to the Arctic. That’s a surprise about the dandelions. I thought that they grew only in southern Ontario especially on our front lawn! Thanks for the photos.
Ha! I got the mystery plant! I thought–it can’t be THAT, can it? It must be one that resembles it. But then, I guess it’s what I thought, so it counts!
Stunning nature scenes, absolutely spectacular!
I am concerned about the ribs being visible on that horse, but I am not familiar with what is acceptable for the breed.
Thanks, Miles!